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KOODANKULAM |
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Of a kitchen that’s fuelling a revolution
It’s the community kitchen at Idinthakarai that is providing the protesters with their much-needed steam
Jeemon Jacob
Idinthakarai
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Photos: Abhijeet Raphael
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Chimneys can keep a struggle alive for long. And the Koodankulam protests prove that. It’s the community kitchen in Idinthakarai that is helping the People’s Movement against Nuclear Energy (PMANE) stay active so far. The community kitchen is providing food for more than 5000 protesters including 700 children crowded at St Lourdes Church grounds.
“Every day we serve breakfast to 5000 people; lunch and dinner for another 6000. We have done it earlier also. We share whatever we have with everybody who comes to the protest grounds,” said Kimslin Rayappan, who manages the community kitchen.
Around 60 people work in the kitchen voluntarily and food is prepared by three cooks. “Our women have not cooked food since last Monday. They are all here. We can’t starve our people. So community kitchen plays a vital role in our struggle,” Kimslin stressed the importance of community kitchen in the Koodankulam struggle.
Last year, the PMANE had organised month long protests at St Lourdes Church grounds, and had set up kitchen to provide food for all. “We have hired four professional cooks and our men and women help them in cooking. We work from 4 am to 10 pm. They are the people who work hard here. But we are happy to work in the community kitchen,” said Pushparayan who is on indefinite hunger strike.
According to him, it was the women who suggested that a community kitchen would help when the struggle was intensified last year. “The women wanted to lead the Koodankulam struggle. So we wanted to make them free from routine home affairs. So we set up kitchen in the church premises. It turned out to be a great idea. It built a common bond among our people. In fact we eat together and sleep together. Here there is no you and me. Only us,” Pushparayan revealed the secret behind the success of Koodankulam struggle.
There is also a great management skill behind running the community kitchen and feeding the whole village. But the semi-literate fishermen community has mastered that skill fast. “We are not Jesus who fed 5000 people with five pieces of bread. It needs great planning and strategies especially when police is trying to cut our supply lines,” he said with a smile.
Pushparayan has answers for the financial part of running huge community kitchen. “No it’s not the US fund or NGO gold money we are using to run our kitchen. It’s our people sponsoring our meals. Those who are rich in our village support our food expenses. We are not having a feast, but a simple meal with rice and a curry. Morning and evening we have rice porridge,” he explained. Every day the community kitchen requires 12,000 kilograms of rice and vegetables.
Salam Bhai, who is chief cook at Idanthikarai community kitchen, hails from a neighbouring village. He gets Rs 600 for his day’s work. He has been with them last year too. “I came here as a worker. But now I’m one of them. I’ve never cooked for so many people. For the last four days, I’m able to cook for more than 6000 people at one time. It was a great experience,” said Bhai. Offering an apology for not being able to speak at length, Bhai invited me to stay for lunch. “You stay for lunch, today its fish sambar, a special. You must try it,” he smiled.
Jeemon Jacob is Bureau Chief, South with Tehelka.
jeemonj@gmail.com |
